Ex-Tennessee QB Dormady says he's transferring to Houston

Dormady issued an Instagram post of himself in a Houston uniform with the word “Committed” below it. Dormady had announced in mid-January that he would earn his degree from Tennessee and then play elsewhere in 2018 as a graduate transfer .

The move enables Dormady to return to his home state. The 6-foot-4 Dormady is from Boerne, Texas.

Dormady started Tennessee’s first five games last year before getting replaced by Jarrett Guarantano and later undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery . He completed 55.5 percent of his passes for 925 yards with six touchdowns and six interceptions.

Houston hasn’t officially announced Dormady’s addition yet.

Houston returns quarterback D’Eriq King, who took over as the Cougars’ starter for the final four games of the 2017 season. Without commenting specifically on Dormady, Houston coach Major Applewhite said Wednesday during an American Athletic Conference coaches’ teleconference that King would head into the preseason as the starter.

“All of our guys know you have to earn your position, but D’Eriq is the starter for our team going into fall camp,” Applewhite said. “Like every other starter, you have to go keep your position every day.”

Applewhite compared the prospect of adding a graduate transfer quarterback to the situation Houston faced in 2015, when Applewhite was the Cougars’ offensive coordinator. That year, Houston added Utah transfer Adam Schulz, who gave the Cougars another experienced option but ended up as the second-team quarterback behind incumbent starter Greg Ward Jr. before getting injured in late September.

“By adding somebody who was a fifth-year senior at that position, it allows competition and allows players to be better,” Applewhite said. “I saw how Adam Schulz came in and his mature approach made Greg Ward better. I think it’s going to make our quarterback room better. It’ll make (offensive coordinator Kendal) Briles a better coach by having an older guy in there who’s played a lot of snaps and started games in a major conference, and it will help D’Eriq.”

FILE – In this Sept. 16, 2017, file photo, Tennessee quarterback Quinten Dormady plays against Florida during an NCAA college football game in Gainesville, Fla. Dormady said on Instagram that he’s transferring to Houston. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)